Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
ZSI Scientists Harp on Effective Conservation and Management Strategy to Help Snow Leopards Survive from Going into Extinct
Protecting Snow Leopards of Himalayas is Necessary for Benefit of Ecosystem: Dr Dhriti Banerjee
Kolkata, July 25, 2022
Snow leopards have a vast but fragmented distribution across the mountainous landscape of central Asia, and their survival depends primarily on wild ungulates. This charismatic species is largely threatened because of the loss of natural prey species, retaliatory killing due to conflict with humans and illegal trade of its fur and bones. Thus, has been classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature  Red list and provided highest protection as Schedule-I species of the Indian Wildlife  Act, 1972 .
Studies suggest that India has relatively rich natural history records of snow leopards which cover different parts of the Himalayas such as Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Sikkim. However, for developing effective conservation and management strategy it is necessary to understand the role of the snow leopard and its interaction with prey species. Further, elucidation of landscape use and co-occurrence of snow leopard and its prey species can be used to assess the differential use of habitat, allowing them to coexist. A recent study published by Zoological Survey of India  Kolkata under National Mission on Himalayan Studies used camera traps and sign survey evaluated the co-occurrence patterns of snow leopards and its prey species  in the Pin Valley National Park, Kibber Wildlife range and Tabo Wildlife range, Spiti valley of Himachal Pradesh.
Ms Amira Sharief, the project Biologist at ZSI stated that the study aimed to examine how the predator uses habitat in presence or absence of its prey species & vice-versa, further we tested how the environmental variables are influencing the distribution of the species in presence or absence of the other species.
Dr Lalit Kumar Sharma, Scientist-C & Head, GIS & Wildlife Section of ZSI, Kolkata said that Spiti valley possesses a good habitat in and outside the protected areas which can support viable population of both the threatened snow leopard and its prey species. The study suggests habitat covariates, such as barren area, grassland, aspect, slope and distance to water are important drivers of habitat use for the snow leopard as well as its prey species.
Dr Sharma added that snow leopard uses rugged mountainous areas or non-forested areas covering an altitude between 3200m-5200m. He highlighted that the snow leopard detection probability was high if the site was used by its prey species, i.e., ibex and blue sheep. However, in the case of the prey species, the probability of detection was low when the predator  was present and detected. The study also suggested that both species were less likely to detect together than expected if they were independent. He said, despite the predation pressure, the differential anti-predation habitat selection and restriction of temporal activities by the prey species when snow leopard is present allows them to co-exist. Therefore, considering the strong link between the habitat use by snow leopard and its prey species, it is imperative to generate quantitative long-term data on predator-prey densities and the population dynamics of its prey species in the landscape.
According to Ms. Amira, in higher up mountains, top predators like snow leopards regulate the population of herbivores such as blue sheep and Siberian ibex, thereby safeguarding the health of grasslands. A long-term absence of snow leopards may cause trophic cascades as ungulate populations would likely increase, leading to depletion of vegetation cover. Consequently, the loss of this keystone species can lead to regime shifts, alternative ecosystems, and possible losses of ecosystem services which ultimately imbalances the whole ecosystem.
The Director of ZSI, Kolkata Dr Dhriti Banerjee opined that protecting snow leopards may result in a cascade of benefits to the ecosystem as a whole. Maintenance of areas having potential habitat for top predators in and outside the PA's can serve as a useful tool for conservation and management planning. The knowledge about the relationships among the species will be useful for developing better conservation and management strategies for the long-term viability of snow leopard and its prey species in the landscape of Spiti valley.